unless your a 1 per center, the rest just don't have any spare money to get into an expensive hobby. Plus the gas situation doesn't help either.

 

(((((((((I know how much of a fan you are when it comes to these cars, however there is nothing rare or special about a soft-bumper C3. It's sorta funny when you have to make something appear rare by stating how many were made with a specific color, trans and options combo....because there were 49,213 cars made in that specific year.
And 49K+ is pretty close to my comment of 50K built a year even though I didn't specify 1977.

So please enlighten me on what I need to brush up on.[/QUOTE])))))))))))))))))

How come I see no C-3 being driven around? If they are so many and not rare, then they should be an everyday car on the road. I can tell you EVERY single time I take my 77 out for a ride I ALWAYS get questions and acknowledgments from all sorts of people (kids to grandma's) Our C-3's are appreciated as much as the "chrome" bumpers out there. The only difference today is they go for less in the "collectors" market. Give it some time. The rubber bumpers will increase in value, How much? I can't say, but from the complements I get, Thats all I need.

 

Ahhh. C3 snobbery rearing its ugly head again.

 

Having owned a 76, 81, and now a 71, I've gotta say that the later models were certainly the best bang for my buck.

I don't think the compliments are any different on the street either. Only within certain circles are there people that recognize the value difference between the rubber and chrome bumper cars.

I admit they all turn my head, even the beat up ones.

 

I know I am one of the few who think the rubber bumper cars are the best looking of the vettes. And the 77 with the console change and the flat back window just happens to be the best looking in and out. My opinion but if im driving it thats all that matters.

 

I'd say a Vega is more special than a '77 Vette in the way that a three-eyed pig is more special than a supermodel; sure, there are fewer of them, and people would certainly give the poor pig a certain kind of look that they wouldn't give anything else, but I can't say that I would prefer the Vega over even the most common, low-powered Vette.

There are two axioms attached to your purchase-price of $7,500 for the car:

1. You have just purchased the opportunity to regularly spend money on that Corvette;

2. The extra $1,000 you spent probably will save you the $2,000 it would likely have cost to make a $6,500 Corvette to be as nice as yours is now. The most expensive '77 Corvette you could have purchased would have been that one you saw on Craigslist for $3,500/obo...

 

OP seemed to be wondering why valuations are typically so low for run-of-the-mill C3's. These cars are not all that rare (with the exception of 68-70 427/435's, L88's, ZL1's, LS6's, etc.,etc.), difficult to work on compared to, say, ANY Camaro, GTO, Chevelle, etc., they don't have a back seat to haul the kiddies around in on cruise nights, tricky to do bodywork on (don't ask me how I know this). In short, they can be very expensive and time-consuming to restore and therefore investors tend to avoid all but the most valuable ones. This pushes down the dollar value. C3 vettes are a sort of niche car, though, so the people that own them for the pure sake of enjoying them tend to spend a lot of money maintaining and preserving them...my $1.380

 

I think there are a few reasons why the non-chrome bumppered C3s don't command a pretty penny. Emissions really started kicking in around 1970 and performance started dropping off. At the same time, the crash laws required reworking and the way the engineers solved the problem initially with the black bumperettes is not the best integrated solution. Late C3s solved these problems (front and rear fascias updated, higher HP output) and command a little more $.

Early C3s actually do command good money, especially with more desirible engines. Low performance mid-seventies Corvettes do not.

They will, however, appreciate.

The good news for us is that they are 1) cheap now, and 2) will appreciate.

Right now they are hands-down the most cost-effective way to generate lots of thumbs-up while driving around town.

 

I'll be honest, and say that when I was looking to import a Vette into New Zealand, I was looking for a chrome bumpered one, but I settled for a 74 convertible. And I'm glad I did!
I'm in love!

Cheers!

 

Makes me think I should go to the local chevy dealer and tell them, "these new fangled rubber nose cars are not worth as much.... knock 30k off the sticker"

Anyways, I agree with most everyone. Large production numbers and low HP hurt the values. Collectors want invesments, but for those of us who want to drive/mod our cars the later c3's are great for the money IMO. Plus John Q Public has really no idea.. they are all just cool old vetts (you would be surprized how many times I've been asked if my 77 is an 82 after they see the L-82 badge on the hood)

Bottom line.. Drive it, enjoy it

 

Bottom line, there are a lot of Corvettes out there that are a great deal. You can ignore what else I say, if you want.



However, C3s, even with the rubber baby bumper stigma, are not the cheapest of the Corvettes. You can buy 1984 to 1990 C4 Corvettes all over for $6000 and less in decent shape.

When you think of that, you are at a point where you can buy Corvettes in running decent condition from 1973 to 1996 for under $10,000 almost anywhere in the States. That is a heck of a deal for good looking sports car with good performance.

That said, there are more really decent deals on performance cars. 1982 to 1992 Camaros are usually dirt cheap, under $3000 most of the time, with 1993 to 2002 Z28s readily found for under $7000 that will blow away most of the Corvettes previously mentioned.

There is always someone going on about the muscle car days, but really, there are more fast cars and great handling cars available today that are cheap than ever back then.

Sure, in 1974, you could buy 1963 to 1967 Corvettes in the $2000 range but that was about 15 to 20 weeks pay for most people.

Today, one of these $5000 cars will come out to about 10 to 15 weeks pay for most. That makes them cheaper and easier to get.